Mentoring Takes Many Forms

When I first heard the saying "It takes a hunter to make a hunter," I was intimidated by it. I was working on a hunter recruitment and retention plan for our agency, and the prospect of getting hunters to mentor and help recruit new hunters seemed daunting. However, in the last 10 years I've learned that the statement is true. Prospective hunters need experienced hunters to help them into the hunting fraternity. I've also learned that nearly every hunter I know is mentoring or has mentored someone. It's what we do and it comes naturally -- especially as we get a little older. I've also learned that my initial concept of what mentoring was and what constituted a mentor was inaccurate.

Mentoring can be as simple as lending someone a book, offering some advice on decoy spreads, or helping them select a shotgun. It could be working with a youngster at the trap range or helping a new bowhunter tune his or her bow. It might be taking someone hunting and it might be a long-term relationship, but that isn't necessary to qualify as mentoring.

And a mentor doesn't have to be an older hunter, although that is often the case. I've had many mentors in my life, some older and some younger. Each had experience in a particular aspect of hunting, and they passed that along to me. In many cases, we ended up learning together. But I know I wouldn't have been as successful or learned as much without the mentors I've been fortunate enough to have known.

I think mentoring happens often without the mentor even realizing it. Mentoring is an important aspect of being a hunter, and it's a treasured part of the hunting heritage.

Best Christmas Gifts

I know now that our family went through some lean times financially when I was young, but Mom and Dad kept me from realizing it then. They somehow always managed to make sure my sister and I had the things we needed. At Christmas, we weren't lavished with lots of expensive gifts, but I always felt special. Mom and Dad would prod us for one gift we really wanted, and we usually got it. I didn't have expensive tastes then, but I usually wanted something that had to do with hunting and fishing. I still have a Weaver variable power rifle scope I got my twelfth Christmas. It's still attached to the .22 rifle that belonged to my Granddad, who gave it to my father, who gave it to me. And I still remember the Christmas I opened a large, rectangular box to find a beautiful Remington BDL .243 bolt action rifle. I hadn't asked for it, thinking it too expensive, but Mom and Dad somehow managed to buy it for me. I killed my first mule deer with that rifle the following fall, and even though I don't rifle hunt much anymore, it's one of my most prized possessions. I recently loaned it to a friend so he could take his grandson deer hunting. He wondered if I was interested in selling it. I just laughed and said I could never part with that gun. It's far too special because it carries the memories of that Christmas and all the hunts that came after.

The Life Journey of Hunting

When someone passes on the hunting heritage to another person, what they're really doing is helping that person embark on a life-long journey. The hunting journey's destination is never arrived at because it is always changing. You may have heard of the five stages of the hunter. The first stage is the "Shooter," and it's especially true with young hunters. During the shooter stage, a successful hunt is marked by lots of shooting and opportunities. The second stage is the "Limit" or "Bagger" stage. In this stage, a successful hunt is when the hunter takes a limit of game. The third stage is the "Trophy" stage. During the trophy stage, the hunter measures success by taking trophy-class animals, such as a deer that qualifies for Pope and Young. Success during the trophy stage requires more time, better skills and the possibility of coming home empty handed. The fourth stage is the "Method" stage. During this stage, the way a hunter hunts is the most important and satisfying aspect. Hunting ducks over decoys or bowhunting deer are good examples of method hunting. The final stage is the "Sportsmen" stage. During this phase, the hunter focuses on the overall experience and is likely to mentor other hunters, finding as much enjoyment in their success as in his or her own.

The fact that a hunter's goals and aspirations are always changing is one of the true joys of the hunting journey. And it's possible for a hunter to be in several different stages at the same time. A hunter who has hunted waterfowl for years may be firmly in the method stage, hunting over decoys and measuring success by the effectiveness of the decoy spread and calling. However, if that hunter recently took up turkey hunting, he or she is likely still in the early stages of evolution, wanting lots of opportunities and experiences to learn from. The final stage is truly the pinnacle because a hunter has learned to enjoy every aspect and minute of every hunt, including the preparation. Results are unimportant, and success is always attained.

Grounded In The Outdoors

Last week I attended a birthday celebration for one of my best friends. Rex and I spent a good deal of our youth hunting and fishing together -- the rest we wasted, as the old joke goes. While trying to think of a good birthday card to give him, I found an old picture from our first deer season. Rex killed a muley buck on the first day and I killed one on the second. On Saturday, my granddad accompanied me and Rex's dad came along with him. Granddad gave us instructions on how to field dress Rex's buck that first day. On Sunday, it was just Rex and me, and I remember crawling up to the fence row and peering out over a feed field with six or seven deer on it. The deer, 150 yards away, were aware of us and began trotting toward the trees. Rex excitedly told me to shoot the biggest buck and made sure I knew which one it was. My first shot was high, but the second connected, and the buck crashed into a grass waterway. Rex was watching it with binoculars, giving me a play by play. He handed the glasses to me so I could watch, and I tried. But by then I was shaking so badly, I couldn't hold them steady. I handed them back and said, "You watch." We field dressed that deer trying to remember Granddad's instructions from the morning before. Those hunts were 35 years ago, and I've just recalled the details as vividly as if they happened yesterday. It never ceases to amaze me how learning to hunt and fish when I was young has impacted my life and stayed with me. Those experiences and memories keep me grounded today and remind me how important our outdoor resources and hunting heritage are.